More than four years ago, Metro workers bulldozed a homeless camp and destroyed all of the occupants' belongings, everything those Louisvillians owned, with no warning or notice.  In response, Metro Council passed an ordinance requiring notice before future clearings, which also gave an opportunity to work with homeless neighbors in an attempt to get them into services and hopefully housing.  Under that ordinance, camps can be cleared immediately when there is a risk of harm to public health or safety or in an area where "no camping" notices have been posted and items are regularly removed. There have been many camp clearings under those rules since then, including two pictured here, just last week. 

A new ordinance has now been proposed by three Councilmembers to allow the immediate confiscation of anything placed "for any length of time" on any public property for use when needed or for safekeeping.   It also imposes hefty fines, up to $1,000 for the third offense, for anyone in violation. No notice is required.  There is no requirement that the item impairs anyone's access at all or threatens public safety or health in any way.  

Because it is impractical for people without housing to remain with their personal property at all moments of every day, the proposal has been described, I think accurately, as a crackdown on homelessness. The Coalition for the Homeless opposes the ordinance and wasn’t consulted in its drafting. Nationally recognized legal groups believe the law raises numerous constitutional issues. While it might satisfy the political desire to "do something", it will also be ineffective.  I will continue to speak against it, and I hope you do too. 

There are sensible, humane and legal ways to address the problem of visible homelessness and the Coalition for the Homeless has recommended them here. The new proposed ordinance is a serious step in the wrong direction.       

Cannons Lane

Cannons Lane has been closed between Beals Branch Road/Wilmington and Pee Wee Reese/ Willis for a long time for major work at an LG&E gas line facility.  That’s created backups and a very large volume of traffic on a narrow Eline Avenue. LG&E told my office this week that milling and paving of Cannons Lane is scheduled for today, Thursday, September 15.  If all goes well, and weather permitting, the road should be opened on Friday, September 16.

Frankfort Avenue

The biggest of the closures, Frankfort Avenue between Stilz and Reservoir, ended a few weeks ago, with one lane of traffic open each way on Frankfort.  Work in the area is obviously ongoing, but Louisville Water expects to have all Frankfort Avenue lanes open by mid to late October. Reservoir Avenue and Pennsylvania Avenue are also expected to fully reopen by that time.

Payne Street

Payne Street isn’t really closed to vehicles, but MSD work has reduced traffic to one lane at 1801 Payne Street.  A temporary traffic light has been installed for alternating access to the one available lane and it is expected to be in place through next week.

Drive carefully out there and thank you for your patience!

Give for Good Louisville, the area’s most generous day of giving hosted annually by the Community Foundation of Louisville, is TODAY, Thursday, September 15, 2022.

The organizations supported by Give for Good Louisville represent our community’s priorities – they see essential needs that aren’t otherwise being met, develop forward thinking solutions, and take the initiative to make a positive change. I encourage you to support your favorite organizations and discover new ones doing important work across Kentuckiana during this community-wide day of giving. Both United Crescent Hill Ministries and St. Matthews Area Ministries are participating today. 

Since its inception in 2014, Give for Good has raised $42.5 million for local organizations in Jefferson, Oldham, Shelby, Spencer, and Bullitt Counties in Kentucky and Clark, Floyd, and Harrison Counties in Indiana.

#GiveForGoodLou is TODAY, Thursday, September 15, until 11:59 PM. For more information or to donate go to www.giveforgoodlouisville.org.

One of the questions we frequently get is “when is the next junk pickup?”. If you live in the 9^th District Urban Services District (USD), you may begin setting out your junk Friday, October 14th in the afternoon. All junk must be set out by Monday, October 17th at 6:00 a.m.

Some items (hazardous materials, construction debris, etc.) are not collected and THESE RULES ARE STRICTLY ENFORCED. We continue to hear from residents who have set out construction debris and are disappointed when it is not collected, and they are forced to remove it. Please avoid this by following collection guidelines: http://louisvilleky.gov/government/public-works/services/junk-and-bulk-trash-disposal.

To sign up for junk set out reminders by email and text, click here! To see if you are in the collection area, go to http://mapit.louisvilleky.gov/, enter your address and check under “sanitation services.”

Historic Photo Exhibit

The Clifton Community Council and United Crescent Hill Ministries invite you to attend a reception on Friday, September 23, 7 pm to 9 pm at United Crescent Hill Ministries, 150 State St., to view the newly refreshed Clifton Historic Photo Exhibit, 43 photos in 25 frames. This is a fundraising event for United Crescent Hill Ministries Food Pantry.

Admission is a $5 cash donation, or canned goods or non-perishable food items for the UCHM Food Pantry.

The event features Jane’s Jazz Addiction, a musical group funded by the District 9 office through the Community Music Partnership Program. Cheese, fruit, hors d’oeuvres and wine will also be available, with sales in cash only, no debit or credit cards.

The Clifton-Crescent Hill Area Plan is a community-guided process that will develop strategies to make short and long-term improvements for the Clifton and Crescent Hill community. Strategies will focus on ideas related to land use, transportation, and housing. We need your help to craft a plan that reflects everyone’s views.  PLEASE share your vision for the future of Clifton and Crescent Hill with an interactive mapping experience online at www.cliftoncrescenthillplan.com.

There are also separate surveys for each respective neighborhood. The consultants are trying to get targeted information for each neighborhood, but please feel free to complete them both. As of earlier this week, there were 151 survey responses to the online survey (53 for Clifton, 98 for Crescent Hill) and 175 comments on the online interactive map. The survey will remain open until the end of the month. Please participate!

Put your photography skills to work in Louisville’s beautiful Olmstead Parks. The Tyler Gerth Memorial Photography Contest will consist of five categories, each of which will have one Winner and two Honorable Mentions, and a grand “Best of Show.” This year’s theme is Focus on Olmsted Parks, which include Seneca, Bingham and a small section of Cherokee in D9.

Photographs will be judged on visual appeal, creativity and by category – Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall and Smaller Park (under 100 acres). Entry deadline is Friday, October 7, 2022. Winners will be notified by email or phone number listed on the release form. For more information and instructions on submitting photos go to https://www.olmstedparks.org/activities/focus-on-olmsted-parks-with-our-2022-photography-contest/

Register by October 11

Election Day – November 8 – is 54 days away and now is the time to register and make a plan to vote. 

The last day to register to vote is October 11, 2022.  Register or check your registration at GoVoteKY.com!  

Election Forums Scheduled

Prepare for the November election by attending 2022 Louisville Election Forums sponsored by the League of Women Voters.  On Monday, October 10 at 5:30 pm, there will be a forum for candidates for Louisville Metro Council District 9 and State Representative District 41 at the Lang House, 115 S. Ewing, beginning at 5:30 pm.

For a complete list of forums,  please click on the link: Louisville Election Forums 2022

Election Officers Needed

Election officers are needed for the General Election on November 8.  Each election officer is compensated $40.00 for attending a 2.5-hour training session before Election Day and $260.00 for working Election Day.  Interested?  For the application and to find out more go to https://jeffersoncountyky.easypollworker.com/home.  There are training sessions beginning September 19 with the last one on October 17. Several are in the District 9 community.

The Kentucky Solar Energy Society (KYSES) is thrilled to be back with the ‘in-person’ 2022 Louisville Solar Tour on Saturday, October 1. The tour will begin at 9:30 a.m. at Sullivan University College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences at 2100 Gardiner Lane. If you are thinking of going solar, adding battery storage to your home, buying an electric vehicle (EV), or installing a home car charger, the event is designed to help you make all the right decisions. Nothing beats talking to those homeowners who have already made the move and will give you unbiased and honest answers on how the process went, and the tips and tricks they picked up on the way.

KYSES has also partnered with Evolve KY, the state's premier EV non-profit and advocacy group to provide chauffeured rides in all the latest EV's to the carefully selected solar show homes! Teslas of all models, Rivians, VW, Kia, Ford, Nissan, Chevy…. take your pick! Click here to Learn more and sign up for free. 

Did you know that the Louisville Public Free Library offers free computer classes for adults?  In District 9 give your local library a call and set up an appointment to try it out.  Crescent Hill Library (502-574-1793) offers a class September the 24^th.  St. Matthews (502-574-1771) offers one on Monday September 26^th. These are all day events. Need another date? Visit the LFPL website for more information here.